Airport, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Tourism, Transport

The agreement is valid for three years and the municipality of Estonia's largest island is prepared to subsidize the connection with up to 180,000 euros during the period. 

The flights will be operated with a 72-seat ATR 72-600 on Mondays and Fridays, and during the season lasting until Sept. 18 a total of 36 round trips will be made, spokespeople for the municipality government said on Thursday.

Municipality mayor Madis Kallas said that transport connections are extremely important for Saaremaa and air connections are playing a big role for visitors, in addition to ferry connections with the mainland.

"The international air route will open up completely new possibilities for Saaremaa residents, as it will be possible to travel from Kuressaare effectively to Stockholm's city center in less than an hour. Also, Saaremaa will open up for millions of residents of Sweden who have so far waived travel to our island due to the absence of easy transport connections and opted for other destinations," Kallas said in a press release. 

BRA, operator of regional lines within Sweden, will start flying between Tallinn and Bromma at the end of March. 

Kallas said the municipality government will definitely continue working towards an increase in the number of weekly departures between Kuressaare and Bromma and extending the length of the flight season already in the next few years. 

The mayor added that the municipality government has been looking for possibilities to introduce new connections with  Sweden, Finland and also Latvia.

The three-year agreement with the Swedish carrier materialized as a result of cooperation with the Saaremaa Business Association, Visit Saaremaa, Enterprise Estonia and Tallinn Airport.

Considering that the launch of the new air connection entails financial obligations, the Saaremaa council in December 2019 agreed on a contribution of up to 180,000 euros from the municipality's budget towards the new air link.